Display containers



Nov. 18, 1958 J. SHIFFMAN 2,860,767

DISPLAY CONTAINERS Filed Sept. 10, 1957 INVENTOR. Jerome Shiffman BY I I Attorney United States Patent DISPLAY CONTAINERS Jerome Shiltman, New York, N. Y. Application September 10,1957, Serial No. 683,169

6 Claims. (Cl. 206-45.13)

This invention relates to display containersor boxes, and particularly to those of a type adapted for use for containing and displaying articles of jewelry, watches and many other articles.

It is one of the objects of the invention to provide a container of this character which can, if desired, be made of plastic materials, which will form an attractive, protective container for the goods, and which when in open position, will display its contents efiectively and advantageously.

It is an object of the invention to provide, in a container of this type, a simple and effective spring means by which the container will be held securely in both its closed and in its open positions. It is another object of the invention to provide a container of such construction that it may be economically manufactured, easily assembled and usefully employed for the holding and display of merchandise.

It is an object of the invention to provide a spring means operative between the cover and body of the con tainer, andwhich can be easily fitted into place and re placed when necessary with ease and facility.

Withitheseand other objects to be hereinafter set forth in view, Ihave devised the arrangement of parts to be described and more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein an illustrative embodiment of the invention is disclosed,

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a display container, constructedin accordance with the invention, and shown inits open or display position; i i

Fig. 2'is. a similar. sideelevational view of the container showing the cover member in section;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the container in its closed position;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the spring;

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of the closed container;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view, taken substantially on the line 6-6 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 7 is a sectional view through a part of the cover, showing the spring, and

Fig. 8 is a sectional view of a part of the cover showing how the spring is compressed on movement of the tray from its closed position to display position.

The container, made according to the invention, is primarily composed of two main parts, namely, a top or cover member 1 and a tray or bottom member 2, the parts being pivotally connected in a manner to be described. The container may be made in various ornamental forms and is herein shown in simple, rectangular shape to more clearly disclose its operating elements.

Both the tray 2 and cover or top 1 therefor, may be made of any suitable material, such as for example, plastic. The tray 2 is provided with a bottom wall 9, side walls 5 and 6, and a front wall 7 and a rear wall 10. Projecting laterally from each of the side walls 5 and 6, and positioned relatively close to the rear wall 10, is a pivot pin 10a, these two pins being pivotally received "ice in recesses 8 formed in parts of side walls 3 and 4, which parts constitute widened wing portions 21 and 22 of the cover member 1. Through this pivotal connection between the tray 2 and the cover member 1, these two parts are coupled together in a manner which enables them to assume the closed position of the container, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5, or to take the open or display position as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. When the parts are in the display position it will be noted that the cover is arranegd nearly vertically or erect and while so positioned it rests upon its rear wall 19a while the tray 2 extends angularly downwardly from its pivot to have its forward end rest upon the supporting feet 17 provided on the bottom wal 9 of the tray.

The spring means which retains the parts of the container in either the closed position shown. in Fig. 3, or else the open or display position, shown in Figs. 1 and 2, consists of a fiat leaf spring 14 of roughly V-shape, being thus provided with the two integrally connected legs shown respectively at 19 and 15. The leg shown at-15 has its end inserted into a socket 16 provided on the rear wall 19a of the cover 1 adjacent to the junction of said wall with the top wall of the cover. The end of the leg 15 may be force-fitted or frictionally held in the socket or otherwise secured therein. The second leg 19 has a free end 20, and said leg is curved to form a cam surface on its outer face.

In the closed position of the container, as shown in Fig. 3, it will be noted that the lower, or loop portion 14a of the spring 14 fits down in the space 25 provided between the rear wall 10 of the tray and the rearwall 19a of the cover member and in this position the free leg 19 of the spring is resiliently operative against thev upper portion of the rear wall 19a of the cover, exerting: a force against it, tending to maintain the container in its closed position. When the container is in-its open or display position, as shown in Figs. 1 and. 2, the leg 19 is resilientlyand upwardly operative against the bottom wall 9 of the tray. at a pointadjacent to therear end of the same, as shown in Fig. 2, thustending to. hold the tray in its inclined display position. The curvatureof the leg 19 is such that it forms a cam surface, allowing the rear lower corner of. the tray to ride over'it while, compressing the leg, as shown. in Fig. 8, as the tray is pivotally moved from. its closed position to. its display position or vice versa.

The closed position of the container. is shown in Fig. 3, wherein it will be seen that when in such position, the cover fits over and closes the top of the tray 2, with the wing portions 21 and 22 of the cover member 1, and

' between which the tray 2 is pivoted, overlapping parts of the sides of the tray, with the inclined edges 26 of said wings abutting against the inclined shoulders 27 formedon the side walls 5 and 6 of the tray 2. The leg 19 of the spring 14, being stressed, holds the parts in this closed position. When it is desired to open the container to the display position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the cover 1 is raised to the substantially vertical position therein shown and the tray 2 is thus swung to the illustrated inclined position in which it can effectively display its contents. The spring 14 will act to hold the parts in this display position so that the container may be thereupon rested on a flat surface on the wall 19a and feet 17. It will be understood that the interior of the tray 2 may be padded or otherwise covered with decorative material, thus concealing the spring 14 and its socket 16.

Having described a single embodiment of the invention, it is obvious that the same is not to be restricted thereto, but is broad enough to cover all structures coming within the scope of the annexed claims.

What I claim is:

l. A display container having a bottom casing in the form of a tray, a cover having opposite walls, the tray being pivotally attached to said walls at points between its front and back, a substantially V-shaped leaf spring having one of its legs attached to the rear wall of the cover, its other leg being free and positioned to cause it to exert resilient pressure against the rear wall of the tray when the cover is in closed position over the tray, and being resiliently operative against the bottom of the tray to support the tray in an inclined position with respect to the cover when the container is in its display position.

2. A display container having a casing in the form of a tray, a cover therefor, the tray being pivotally mounted between a pair of opposite walls of the cover, a leaf spring having a leg secured at one end to a wall of the cover and havinga second leg arranged at an acute angle to the first leg, the second leg having a free end, said second leg being resiliently operative against the rear wall of the tray adjacent to the top thereof to maintain the cover in closed position over the tray and being resilient against the-bottom of the tray to support the tray in display position after having been manually moved to such position.

3. A display container having a casing in the form of a tray provided with a bottom Wall, front and rear walls and side Walls, a cover having side walls provided with wings, portions of the side walls of the tray fitting between said wings and being pivotally connected to the same, angular shoulders on the side walls of the tray against which the edges of the wings abut when the cover is closed, the back wall of the cover having a socket, a substantially V-shaped leaf spring having a leg provided with an end fitting into said socket, the spring having a second leg extending at an acute angle to the first leg, said second leg having a free end and having a curved outer surface, said sec-nd leg being resiliently operative at a point near its joinder to the first leg, against the rear wall of the tray when the tray is disposed in closed position relatively to the cover, said second leg of the spring being resiliently operative at its free end against the bottom of the tray adjacent to the rear wall of the tray when the tray is in its display position relatively to the cover.

4. A display container comprising a casing in the form of a tray having a bottom, side Walls and front and rear walls, a cover within which the tray is pivotally mounted, the cover having a rear wall spaced from the rear wall of the tray, a substantially V-shaped leaf spring fitted between the rear wall of the tray and the rear wall of the cover, said spring having one leg attached to the rear wall of the cover, the second leg of the spring having a free end and having the greater portion of its length projecting above the top edge of the rear Wall' of the tray when the cover is in closed position of the tray, said leg having its lower end portion in resilient engagement with the rear wall of the tray when the container is in the above-mentioned closed position, said leg resiliently engaging under the bottom of the tray at the rear end of the same when the tray is in an inclined display position relative to the cover.

5. A display container having a casing in the form of a tray provided with a bottom wall, front and rear walls and side walls, a cover having front and rear walls and side walls, the tray being partly fitted within the cover and having its rear wall spaced forwardly of the rear wall' of the cover, a two-legged spring of substantially J-form fitted between the two rear walls and having one leg attached to the rear wall of the cover and its other leg free, the free leg springily engaging against the outer surface of the rear wall of the tray when the container is in its closed position, and springily engaging against the bottom of the tray when the tray is disposed in an inclined display position with the cover open.

6. A display container having a casing body provided with side walls, a bottom and front and rear walls, a cover including a back wall, front wall and side walls, the side walls of the cover fitting over the side walls of the casing body and being pivoted thereto, the pivots being located at points between the front and rear walls of the casing, a substantially V-shaped leaf spring having one leg attached to the inside face of the rear wall of the cover and having a second leg disposed with the greater portion of its length projecting above the top of the casing body when the casing body and its cover are in closed relation, the casing being pivotal in respect to the cover to thereby position the casing body in an angular display position relative to the cover while the cover is rested on its back wall, the second leg of the spring being under compression between the rear walls of the casing and cover while the casing and cover are in closed relation, and said leg extending under and supporting the casing body in its angular display position while the casing body is located in such display position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,732,214 Amez-Drozo Oct. 22, 1929 2,112,866 Segal Apr. 5, 1938 2,698,083 Palson Dec. 28, 1 954, 

